The PP has left open the possibility of introducing changes to the sustainable tourism tax (ITS), although it has specified that any modification must be agreed upon beforehand at the debate table of the Pact for the Sustainability of the Balearic Islands.
This was expressed by the spokesperson for the 'popular' in the Parliament, Sebastià Sagreras, at the press conference following the Board of Spokespersons, when questioned about the legislative initiative registered by the PSIB to increase this rate during the high season months, following the announcement made by the president of the Govern, Marga Prohens.
The deputy has reproached the socialists for now demanding measures that they did not promote when they led the regional Executive, despite the fact that similar proposals were already raised in those legislatures and, as he recalled, "illegal tourist spots proliferated."
Sagreras indicated that the PP invited the PSIB to defend this increase at the debate table and emphasized that Prohens' proposal involved raising the ITS in high season, reducing it in low season months, and exempting Balearic residents from paying the tax.
Tourist overcrowding, at the center of the political debate
In his intervention, the spokesperson for Més per Menorca, Josep Castells, pointed out that tourist overcrowding constitutes the "great challenge" of the legislature and accused Prohens of having been "asleep" until now she has "awakened."
The parliamentarian admitted that they were "naive" to think that the "gestures" made by the Govern within the framework of the Pact for Sustainability would be "serious," but emphasized that the process has ended up becoming a "great fiasco."
In this line, he maintained that Prohens had the ability to "take over the discourse" until "the balloon has deflated," because "the facts do not support the narrative," and concluded that the regional Executive would not have implemented "any serious policy" to contain the overcrowding.
In similar terms, the spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, has demanded that the president abandon the rhetoric of containment and focus on applying measures aimed at degrowth in light of the "clamor of the citizens," who took to the streets this summer in several demonstrations.
The ecosovereignty leader has denounced the "lack of sensitivity" of the Govern in the face of the "negative externalities" of tourist overcrowding, recalling that during this summer two decrees have been approved without either of them addressing this problem.
"In the face of a summer in which tourist revenues have increased, citizens continue to struggle to make ends meet. It is an economic model that does not serve the population and demands labor continuously," he has pointed out.
Apesteguia has reiterated the need to "transform the economy" and put it "at the service of the people" so that it stops "enriching a few, at the expense of the work and precariousness of the citizens."
For his part, the PSIB deputy Marc Pons has criticized that the Pact for Sustainability has shown itself "incapable of taking measures" and has stated that he expects "little" from the Govern regarding the adoption of "real and effective" actions.
For this reason, he has emphasized that "precious time has been lost" and has expressed his desire that in the elections of May 2027 there is a progressive government "capable" of launching initiatives in this direction.
The deputy of Unidas Podemos (UP), José María García, has rejected what he has called "the scam of desseasonalization," which was supposedly meant to distribute tourists throughout the year but which, in practice, has meant that "more tourists" arrive from March until the end of summer.
The parliamentarian has demanded measures aimed at the decrease of tourist spots and has reproached the Govern for not finding a slot in "its agenda" to meet with the associations that called for the mobilizations held in summer.
In the face of these criticisms, Sagreras has appealed to the "facts" of the Govern and has accused the PSIB of practicing "demagogy." In this sense, he has claimed the decree for tourist containment, the processing of the law to limit the entry of vehicles in Mallorca, the strengthening of the fight against illegal vacation rentals, and the approval of the bill for airport co-management.